Abstract:This article provides a thorough history of the rise of Chicago as the greatest railroad city on earth. In 1830, the city consisted of a few cabins and trails beside the southwest corner of Lake Michi...This article provides a thorough history of the rise of Chicago as the greatest railroad city on earth. In 1830, the city consisted of a few cabins and trails beside the southwest corner of Lake Michigan. Twenty-six years later it was the railroad capital of the world. Chicago's location played a major role in its rise to railway stardom, as did the Erie Canal, which connected the Hudson River Valley and New York City with Lake Erie, and had Chicago as its terminus. Three commodities-lumber, grain and meat-funneled through Chicago. Once Chicago became the hub of North American railroading, it became highly attractive to all types of industry. The flat prairies surrounding Chicago allowed almost infinite expansion for the city's suburbs. The article includes photographs from the early days of the city and its railroads.Read More
Publication Year: 2003
Publication Date: 2003-07-01
Language: en
Type: article
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